Monday 6 January 2020

Pro-European on stolen land

During the Brexit process, I've chosen my side. I'm proudly pro-European and global, and in that context it means to be supportive of the (more) open borders and multiculturalism.

On this side of the Atlantic, it gets more complicated. Here, on land systematically stolen by Europeans from Natives, being proud to be European implies some sense of chauvenism which has more in common with the nationalism which embodies the pro-Brexit movement than pro-EU pluralism. It hurts and it challenges me and reminds me every day to prioritize Native rights here as much as I can but I believe that I can still be a global, European citizen and respect Natives. The blunt truth is I have little power right now to enforce either of those abilities anyway but we try to play our part.